franchise-star-trek-tng-technical-manual1

and is constructed from a core of densified tungsten-cobaltmagnesiumfor structural stiffening, and imbedded within acasting of electrically densified verterium cortenide. A completepair measures 21 x 43 meters, with a mass of 34,375metric tonnes. Two complete sets of eighteen coils eachmasses 1.23 x 10 6 metric tonnes, accounting for close to 25%of the total starship mass. The casting process, as discussedpreviously in 5.1, proved to be somewhat difficult to repeatreliably during the early phases of the Galaxy Class Project.Improvements in materials and procedures led to more exactcopies for use in the spacecraft, though the installation ofclosely matched pairs of coils within a nacelle is still practiced.During coil refurbishment at a major starbase yard, themaximum time between the youngest and oldest coil shouldbe no more than six months.When energized, the verterium cortenide within a coil paircauses a shift of the energy frequencies carried by the plasmadeep into the subspace domain. The quantum packets ofsubspace field energy form at approximately 1/3 the distancefrom the inner surface of the coil to the outer surface, as theverterium cortenide causes changes in the geometry of spaceat the Planck scale of 3.9 x 10 33 cm. The converted fieldenergy exits the outer surface of the coil and radiates awayfrom the nacelle. A certain amount of field energy recombinationoccurs at the coil centerline, and appears as a visible lightemission.WARP PROPULSIONThe propulsive effect is achieved by a number of factorsworking in concert. First, the field formation is controllable ina fore-to-aft direction. As the plasma injectors fire sequentially,the warp field layers build according to the pulsefrequency in the plasma, and press upon each other aspreviously discussed. The cumulative field layer forcesreduce the apparent mass of the vehicle and impart therequired velocities. The critical transition point occurs whenthe spacecraft appears to an outside observer to be travelingfaster than c. As the warp field energy reaches 1000 millicochranes,the ship appears driven across the c boundary inless than Planck time, 1.3 x 10 43 sec, warp physics insuringthat the ship will never be precisely at c. The three forwardcoils of each nacelle operate with a slight frequency offset toreinforce the field ahead of the Bussard ramscoop and envelopthe Saucer Module. This helps create the field asymmetryrequired to drive the ship forward.Second, a pair of nacelles is employed to create twobalanced, interacting fields for vehicle maneuvers. In 2269,experimental work with single nacelles and more than twonacelles yielded quick confirmation that two was the optimumnumber for power generation and vehicle control. Spacecraftmaneuvers are performed by introducing controlled timingdifferences in each set of warp coils, thereby modifying thetotal warp field geometry and resultant ship heading. Yawmotions (XZ plane) are most easily controlled in this manner.Verterium cortenide:Outer layer •Inner layer •Tungsten-cobalt-magnesium:Inner core •Outer core •Plasma cavity •Field release gap •5.3.3 Warp field coil segment (typical)